New way of interactive learning in composite materials

The global composites market size is projected to grow from USD 74.0 billion in 2020 to USD 112.8 billion by 2025. This growth is due to the increasing demand for high performance materials with properties such as high strength, flexibility, stability and lightweight, among others. Out of this, the automotive & transportation industry has the largest share in terms of volume.

Composite Experts launch Composites Academy Platform

On 12 June 2020, Composites Expert officially launched the E-Learning Composites Academy platform. It is an interactive online platform for composites training aimed at operators, technicians and engineers in the field of composites. In addition to engaging software, the learners receive kits for hands-on exercises, and quizzes to check exercise results and knowledge. A plus is the interaction with a personal tutor for additional help.

Jean-Pierre Cauchois, a composites expert for 30 years and president of Composites Expert, created this novel program. A committee of excellence, composed of specialists from industry, research and education, validates the courses.

Institut de Soudure is a partner distributor selected by Composites Expert.

EIT RawMaterials supports Composites Expert team with Booster funding to develop this large-scale educational project. The E-learning Composites Academy is a good example of knowledge triangle integration – from the industrial world, research and education.

We are trying to bring a fully remote system for training that maintains technical excellence and quality. The goal is to make learning composites as engaging and interactive as possible.

Jean-Pierre Cauchois, President of Composites Expert

Tailored training for different levels of expertise

A beta-test phase of the first training modules started in January 2020 with manufacturers representing different sectors of activity in order to obtain experience feedback and adjust the content and educational tools.

The E-learning platform has three levels, “initiation”, “intermediate”, “confirmed” targeting different audiences:

  • Industry in the composite sector whose employees wish to improve their skills
  • Schools and training centers, who will benefit from a mix of theoretical courses and practical work
  • Companies/professionals wishing to diversify

In the end, a face-to-face exam will allow participants to obtain an internationally recognised skills certification. In collaboration with the Educational Excellence Committee, the TOCTE (Test of Composites Technical Evaluation) aims to become THE professional benchmark in the world of composites, like the TOEIC for English.

Personal tutors support the learning experience

Every learner has a dedicated tutor throughout their journey, a composite engineer from Institut de Soudure, who intervenes in the learner’s language and follows their progress and results step by step. Therefore, the  tutor will follow the student online, using an email platform to exchange questions and provide assistance.

Taught in 4 languages – French, English, Spanish and Portuguese, the training covers all aspects of the composites field, dealing with tooling constraints, quality, safety and technological limits, with application cases, simulations and calculations.

What is next?

The first module  focuses on the general knowledge of composite materials, with a focus on 17 processing technologies associated with their fields of activity. As a next step, new training modules shall be added every six to 12 months.

In 2021, Composites Expert plans to develop a class related to thermoplastic composites  as the demand and use of thermoplastic is growing worldwide.

Learn More about Composites Academy